house



R. E. HOUSE.

Recorder.

Patented May 25, 1858.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

R. E. HOUSE, OF BINGIIAMTOX, NEW YORK.

OMNIBUS-REGISTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,849, dated May 25, 1858.

To ali whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYAL E. I-IoUsE, of Binghamton, county of Broome, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful machine for registering the number of persons passing over it and which may be used for that purpose whenever it is desirable to ascertain the number of persons to be admitted through a passage, such as to stages, railroadcars, ferries, places of amusement, &c, and I have so devised it as to have it independent of any attendant and to secure its reliable operation and truthful report without aid from and in defiance of any doorkeeper or other attendant and not capable of being affected by any such person.

The following is a true and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in all of which like letters of reference refer to like parts.

The nature of my invention is such that the weight of each person passing over the machine puts into motion a recording instrument, and bringing it against paper or other suitable material to receive the record previously adjusted for that purpose, makes an impression or mark. This I accomplish by a movable platform or step adapted to receive the foot, and consequently the weight of a person passing over it combined with a spring or its equivalent in such manner that the weight of the person and the power of the spring or its equivalent produces a reciprocating' motion of the recording instrument, one of these forces carrying the recording instrument against the material receiving the record, and the other of said forces returning it to its proper place ready for another operation, and also the combination of these with machinery for advancing and holding the material receiving the record in such manner that the marks or impressions shall be made in proper succession to be legible.

The particular form of mechanism which I prefer in constructing my invention for use will appear and be understood from the following description.

Figure l, of the drawings annexed is a perspective view of my machine as I construct it on the principle of my invention. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine. Fig. 3, is a vertical cross-section of the machine. Fig. 4, is a frontele vaticn of the register with the front of the case removed to better show the works within. Fig. 5, is a perspective of the interior of the front of the register case, and Fig. 6, is a vertical section of the step and its inclosure inclusive of an elastic cover to protect the step from dirt &c.

C, is the step, and a, is the step inclosure; the step as shown by the drawings, being protected b v the flange of the case extending up at the sides around the step.

The joint between the step and flange of the case must be such as to prevent any thing' going in which would prevent the operation of the step, and at the same time it must allow the step to easily reciprocate down and up. o is the register case or inclosure with a neck at the top for the reception of the hollow stem (Z, which is attached to or is a prolongation of the step case and incloses the spindle e, attached to and supporting the step.

The lower end of the step spindle e, rests upon the arm or lever, j, and will screw up or down into the other part to lengthen or shorten the spindle; the arm f, has its fulcrum at l, and a spring 2, under its other end; this arm f, acts as a driving pawl on the wheel g; and z., is a retaining pawl for the same wheel.

z', is a reel or spool on which strips of paper represented by red lines, 3, can be wound for use.

7c, is a cylinder or roller for supporting and advancing the paper, on the same shaft as is, and rotating with the wheel g, and having spurs or other roughened surface to catch into or cause friction upon the paper to move it forward, and also having a groove around it over which the paper passes, and into which the point of the recording instrument, l, passes on perforatino the paper, which recording instrument is attached to and reciprocates with the arm, f, with a sharp point to perforate the paper.

is an arm having its fulcrum at b, atone end, and the other end terminating over the cylinder 75, with a concave lower surface adapted to press upon and hold the paper to the cylinder by a yielding pressure and may itself be a spring or be acted upon by a separate spring' T.

m, is a slot through the spindle c, to receive a pin passing through the side of the stem (Z, to prevent the spindle and step from being withdrawn, but admit of their raising and lowering. In operation this pin is below the top of the neck of the registerl case so that when the parts are together it cannot be drawn out.

8 and 9, are pins in the lower end of the hollow stem (Z, and projecting back from the inside of the movable front plate Fig. 5, are two ears n, with a hole in each so that on said front being first adjusted, and the stem CZ, being then passed down through the neck of the registerl case, the pins 8 and 9, passing through the holes in the ears a. Said front is fastened and cannot be removed until the stem is again withdrawn.

0, is a screw with a hole l0 through its head and screws into the neck of the register case, and the small end enters a hole in the stem d, so that the stem cannot be withdrawn unless this screw be first taken out.

Proj ecting out from the outer, upper edge of the front of the register case is a lip y), so that when all the parts are together and a pad-lock is put to the screw through the hole l0, the screw cannot be turned.

q, is a iiexible cover such as leather, india rubber or other suitable material to so protect the step and the joint between the flange of the case surrounding the step as to aord an additional security against its operation being obstructed by dirt, ice &c, or becoming wet and consequently rusty; this cover is fastened to a horizontal flange of the case by a circular clamp and bolts as shown in the drawing.

The adjustment and operation of this machine are as follows: After the interior working parts are put into order the front of the register case is to be adjusted to its place; the hollow stem d, is then passed down the neck of the register case, the pins S and 9, passing through the holes in the ears n, of said front plate thereby fastening this front plate in its place; the stop bolt 0, is then screwed into its place securing the stem (Z, in the neck of the case; and to lock the whole after so put together a pad-lock is attached to the stop bolt through the hole in its head, which then being prevented from turning by the lip 22, the whole is made secure and the register and its operation are concealed Vfrom view. The machine then being so placed as to be supported against the under side of the stepcase and having a person step and bear his weight upon the step, the step together with its spindle c, descends thereby depressing the arm f, together with the recording instrument; and this arm as it descends acts upon the wheel g, by taking into the notches on its periphery and moves it the distance of one of the notches, and consequently advances the paper a corresponding distance, and sufficient to separate the marks or impressions to be made thereon, and at the ame time brings down the recording instrument so that its point comes in contact with, and if sharp, perforates the paper previously adjusted as aforesaid. On the step being liberated by the person stepping off, the arm f, and consequently the step are restored to their former positions by the action of the spring under the arm, and thus a record of one mark is made indicative of a person having passed over the machine, and the parts are restored and ready for another operation; and on the same or another person stepping upon the step another mark in like manner will be made. `When the machine is used where the same persons pass both directions through the same passage or gangway-such as into and out of a stagewtwo marks being made by the same person, of course two must be allowed to represent one person or passenger; but when used in a passage where the persons to be recorded pass only in one direction through such passage, as may be the case in ferry gates, one perforation is to represent one person.

A pencil or Vother coloring matter in any convenient form may be used instead of a sharp pointed instrument to make the record, and in that case it will be useful to have either the marking instrument or the paper held by a yielding support. Any other suitable material may be substituted instead of paper to receive the record.

The mechanism within the register case l prefer to have attached to a plate by means of studs or otherwise and such plate fitted into the case against the inside of the back side piece of the case.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent on this application is- The combination of a step protected substantially as described, resting on a yielding support, such as a spring or its equivalent, with recording mechanism to be operated by the step, substantially as, and for the purpose described.

ROYAL E. HOUSE.

lVitnesses Gro. Grrrono, JACOB M. MERSELES. 

